Newsletter of Merrymeeting Audubon Volume 44, Issue 1, Spring 2014 A Chapter of Maine Audubon Georgetown Birds: 1935 - 2008 There are three Maine Audubon Sanctuaries within the Merrymeeting Audubon service area. Brackish marsh environ- ments are present in all three. The tidal Harraseeket River flows through the Mast Landing Sanctuary in Freeport; the Hamilton Sanctuary in West Bath is located on Mill Cove of the New Meadows River; and the Josephine Newman Sanc- tuary in Georgetown is enclosed by the east and west branches of Robinhood Cove, an offshoot of the Sheepscot River. In addition to the two very different ocean environments provided by high and low tides which run for miles into the three estuaries, all three also provide many land-based plant communities. The shoreline, meadow, and upland woods ecosys- tems give birds a broad choice of environments in which to feed and mate. People often ask us whether a bird is becoming more common or is suffering from declines in population. Often the answer is difficult to make. For example, a count of successful Piping Plover nests conducted by Maine Audubon over the past decade varies up and down from year to year. How many other summer residents are actively breeding in the three sanctuaries, and how much do their numbers vary? A breeding survey was conducted by Maine Audubon not long after Josephine Newman willed her property to us in 1968. The list contains 38 birds which were nesting in the Sanctuary in the 1980s. An additional 31 species were annually present but not nesting in the Sanctuary. Some of them are like Great Blue Herons which breed near Reid State Park but feed in nearby marshes. Others are migrants that pass through from their northern breeding grounds and return to their winter feeding areas in the fall. The breeders in the Sanctuary are common backyard birds like Robins, Chickadees, Blue Jays, many woodpeckers, flycatchers, and warblers. I have ob- served two birds breeding at Josephine Newman which in the 1980s had not been recorded there: Barred Owl and Least Flycatcher. My surveys were conducted during the period 1994 to 2009 along the uplands bordering Indian Point Road. They also included the Little River marsh which is no more than half a mile from the boundary of the Sanctuary, as the birds fly. The Little River marsh is much larger than any wetland in the three sanctuaries and contains breeders of birds common to large marshes: Swamp Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow, Willet, and Killdeer. These differences become more interesting if we compare a list kept by J. Otis Swift from 1935 to 1941. He birded along Bay Point Road which runs parallel to Indian Point Road, less than a mile to the east. Some birds in the Bay Point area are not listed in the surveys of the two later time periods. For example, Eastern Towhee populations declined throughout Maine in the twentieth century. On the other hand, Swift’s observations also include Field and Vesper Spar- rows. They are not mentioned in the Josephine Newman lists because the Sanctuary’s field is and has been smaller by comparison. I have not seen them on Indian Point Road for the same reason. Swift also saw the now rare Blue-winged and Orange-crowned Warblers. As migrants, they may always have been rare in Maine. Finally, Northern Cardinals, the poster birds of northward expansion, are not listed in either of the two early surveys. In the 1990s they spread rapidly into our sanctuaries and throughout Maine. If you are interested in thinking about these changes, join us in conducting surveys in all three sanctuaries. Look for listings of these activities in future issues of The Call . Ted Allen WANTED!! Editor for The Call Please contact Tulle Frazer at 725-8942 or [email protected] if you are interested. Job description : Edit and layout articles for the three annual issues. Presently this work is done using Publisher , but if you have experience using other desktop publishing software that would work as well. You aren’t required to write articles unless you wish to do so. Tulle is stepping down and would be glad to help you get started. www.maineaudubon.org/merrymeeting Page 1 Officers Ted Allen, President, 729-8661 Bath Student Wins Scholarship Doug Suitor, Vice President, 841-1951 Karen Carlisle, Secretary, 833-6033 Kevin Tolan, a junior at Morse High School, is this year’s win- John Berry, Treasurer, 632-7257 ner of the MMAS scholarship to attend Coastal Maine Bird Stud- Board of Directors ies for Teens at Hog Island this coming June. Kevin is in the Ad- Beth Bullock, 729-9650 vanced Placement Environmental Science course. In his essay, he Jack Collins, 373-0336 tells of his fascination with the natural world and in the intercon- Glenn Evans, 443-9652 nections between everything on our planet. Kevin hopes to learn Andrew Gilbert, 329-7525 more about bird evolution, diversity, and migration at the Coastal Chuck Huntington, Founding Director, 725-5657 Maine Bird Studies program. Carol Jack, 729-0220 We think that Kevin will learn a great deal during the birding Jane Robinson, 833-6675 program and that he will be an enthusiastic and integral member of George Sergeant, 442-8195 the Hog Island community. Congratulations, Kevin! Gordon Smith, 725-0282 Stella Walsh, 807-3679 Other Scholarship News Scholarship Committee Beth Bullock, 729-9650 The information packets for scholarships to Tanglewood and Jane John, 729-5881 Bryant Pond 4H Camps have been sent out to the local elementary Sue Sergeant, 442-8195 and middle schools. If you know of children who would benefit Barbara Tucker, 729-3343 from a camping experience, please encourage them to ask for ap- plications from their guidance counselors. Information is also Coordinators available from members of the scholarship committee. John Berry, Maine Audubon Trustee, 632-7257 Karen Carlisle, Speaker Programs, 833-6033 Donations from our generous co-sponsors are coming in Maurice and Cathie Dauphin, Bird ID, 389-2585 steadily, fattening up the scholarship fund. There’s still time to Glenn Evans, Hamilton Sanctuary Director, 443-9652 send a check of any amount to The Merrymeeting Audubon Schol- Mike Fahay, Field Trips, 443-1253 arship Fund, in care of Jane John, 134 Middle Bay Road, Bruns- Tulle Frazer, Editor The Call , 725-8942 wick, ME 04011. You will be helping to give a child a life chang- Chuck Huntington, Proofreader of The Call , 725-5657 ing experience! Don Hudson, Christmas Bird Count, 443-9795 Carol Jack, Refreshments and Potluck, 729-0220 Beth Bullock, MMAS Scholarship Committee Wayne Robbins, Special Projects, 443-2287 George Sergeant, Membership, 442-8195 The Nominating Committee is Inviting Nominations to the Board Every year the Board of Directors of Merrymeeting Audubon makes a commitment to recruite new members who are willing to serve a three year renewable term. Some stay for three years and others for longer. We know how difficult it is to persuade others who might have great interest in birding to add yet another commitment to their busy lives. I joined the Board two years after moving to Maine and will try to tell you why. Along with all other board members I like to study birds and talk about them. At meetings, which come to eight a year, one of my jobs as president is to stick to the agenda because it’s easy for all of us to have several conversations going on at the same time. But talking about the conservation of birds is what brings us all together, and we do have time at the end of every meeting to talk freely and enjoy sharing experiences. Every board member has an opportunity to develop specific interests. When I first joined the board I wasn’t quite sure why I did it. As time went on I found projects that would never have occurred to me had I not come to know fellow board members. We are always looking for new perspectives. Whether they have to do with field trips, camp scholarships, bringing public speakers to our monthly programs, writing for our newsletter, or introducing something totally new, there are always better ways to get things done and we benefit from fresh input. This year the Board of Directors would like to find at least two new members. We invite any Merrymeeting Audubon member interested in nomination to contact me, a current Board member, or a Coordinator. Ted Allen www.maineaudubon.org/merrymeeting Page 2 Field Trips and Nature Programs 2014 April (KELT) to explore Whiskeag Creek May where it empties into the Kennebec Tuesday, April 1, 7:00 pm River at Thorne Head. The targets for Saturday, May 3, 9:00 – noon Board Meeting, hosted by Ted Allen: this trip include Canada Geese, Black Work Day – Hamilton Sanctuary Directions 729-8661. Ducks, Mallards, Blue and Green- Clear trails, repair erosion damage, winged Teal, Common Mergansers, as and spruce up the memorial garden. Saturday, April 5 well as early arriving songbirds. Continue removing invasives from the Field Trip - Waterfowl of Bowdoin- Meet at the CVS in Bath at 7:30 am newer property. Pending state permits, ham or at Sewall Woods on Whiskeag Road we will also work on the new trails. Join Merrymeeting and York at 8:00 am. FMI contact Ted Allen at Please contact Glenn Evans at County Audubon on this outing to 729-8661. 443-9652 if you plan on coming. Brown Point in Bowdoinham in search of early waterfowl migrants. The area Tuesday , April 22, 6:00 pm Sunday, May 4 and Wednesday, May14 has been a good site in the past for un- Annual Meeting, Silent Auction, and Field Trip - Florida Lake, Freeport usual species such as Eurasian Wigeon Talk “Divorce Among Savannah While small by State standards, this and Eurasian Green-winged Teal, as Sparrows” by Nathaniel Wheel- undeveloped pond is Freeport’s largest well as more common treats such as wright, Professor of Biology, Bowdoin freshwater body.